Lake County commissioners announced Monday they plan to conduct an engineering and architectural study of the Lake County Jail in Painesville.

One of the major concerns with the jail, which opened in 1990, is water infiltration, said Commissioner Daniel P. Troy. Preliminary estimates indicate potentially large repair costs.

Troy said the county's Juvenile Detention Center is more than 30 years old and it might make sense to address the needs of both jail populations together.

The study could also help determine whether a new facility would be the best course of action for the county, he said. It could also suggest options to reduce future costs by finding ways to share services such as food preparation and to explore possible partnerships with neighboring counties.

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The commissioner said the study, which he anticipated would cost around $40,000 and be completed in a couple months, would help officials decide the best option.

"Rather than us trying to sit down ourselves we thought it would be smart to spend a little money and have professional expertise and do an analysis on this facility," Troy said.

A preliminary project description states the study would examine the jail from a capacity and programming standpoint.

The selected firm would examine the cost benefit of maintaining the existing facility with the anticipated capital renovation cost versus a new facility that may encompass other detention operations in the county.

The project would also research the operational analysis of a new facility based on current and future trends.

Lake County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Frank Leonbruno said the jail study is a needed part of continued operations.

"Although we've worked very hard to maintain the internal components it's an aging structure," Leonbruno said.

How to serve a larger jail population is also something to consider, Leonbruno said.

The average daily Lake County jail population in 1989 was around 100 inmates and the facility was designed to house 353 inmates.

Leonbruno said Monday the jail's inmate population was 399, and 380 of those inmates were convicted of crimes by Lake County courts

Extra space previously had allowed the county to rent plenty of beds to outside entities such as Cuyahoga County or the U.S. Marshals Service and with that came additional revenue to pay for housing costs and debts on the jail building.

"If you look at that growth over the past 23 years, we have to look at if this growth is going to continue," Leonbruno said. "If that growth continues, what do we do for beds?"

The chief deputy said the county is one of the most proactive in the state to find ways not to incarcerate people whether utilizing house arrest, community service or other types of programs.

He said the jail population used to consist of about two-thirds of inmates convicted of misdemeanor crimes and one-third felons, but that has flipped around.

"Now there is a push to push low-level felon offenders back to the county jails," Leonbruno said. "It's great for the state, not so great for the counties because we're not getting the funding to help us with those costs."

Commissioners said firms interested to conduct the study should provide a statement of qualifications by Feb. 25.